1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices which attach to the hand of a user, which devices simultaneously blow-dry and style hair on mammals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand-held devices are known which simultaneously style and dry hair. U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 251,857 to Harigai, Des. 256,281 to Rosse, Des. 325,794 to Lerner, 3,563,250 to DeFalandre, and 3,696,818 to Weber demonstrate this concept. Each of these patents discloses a device which the user must grasp in order to use. For users suffering from arthritis, the use of such devices can be painful. This problem is intensified by the long time required to dry hair on the user's head. Also, the styling device is rigid, and does not allow for styling in response to the natural hand movement including normal flexing and extension of the hands. Gloves or mittens which contain bristles are also known. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,967 to Sami discloses a mitten containing bristles useful for scrubbing. This device is not intended to be used to style hair. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 277,173 discloses a glove containing bristles which is useful for grooming. This device lacks the advantage of being able to dry the hair. U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,914 to Briggs is the most closely related prior art known to the present inventors. The device shown by this patent is a glove containing comb teeth along the fingers. This device can also be adapted to discharge air to the hair at different locations along the fingers and thumb of the glove. This device has the disadvantage of requiring different sized gloves to be made for different sized hands. Thus, the manufacturer must make a multiplicity of different sized products in order to satisfy the market. The present invention is designed to overcome the disadvantages of the above-discussed products while maintaining their advantages.